Next generation more capable than me - Dravid

Rahul Dravid, who announced his retirement from international and domestic cricket on Friday, has said the next few years will be interesting and challenging times for Indian cricket and that he believed the next generation of batsmen are capable of achieving more than he had.

Dravid's retirement has coincided with India's worst phase as a Test team in recent times, having lost eight consecutive Tests in England and Australia and mixed results in one-dayers. Fans and the media have been calling for either a phased or complete revamp of India's batting line-up and Dravid's step was the first high-profile departure in the aftermath of the Australia tour. Dravid admitted that the results were painful but said India's future looks healthy.

"We are all disappointed by the fact that we didn't do well in England and Australia, not just for the cricketers, but for people all around," Dravid said. "Having said that, I feel Indian cricket is in a good place and I think there are some really exciting young talents coming through. As to who will replace me, there are some waiting in the wings who can definitely step up and take over."

Dravid was India's best batsman in England in 2011 by a fair distance. However, he suffered an unexpected slump in Australia, scoring 194 runs in four Tests at 24.25. The seniors were persisted with in all four Tests despite failing, while the in-form Rohit Sharma was benched. Virat Kohli's century in Adelaide, which was followed by a passionate and uninhibited celebration, only increased the calls for phasing out the seniors for accommodating more youngsters. Dravid said talent is not in short supply in India.

"They've got all the talent and skills required to achieve success at this level," Dravid said. "When I look back at myself as a 23-year-old when I played for India, and when I look at the talent on show now, I just know that I was nowhere near as talented as some of these kids.

"Just being talented doesn't necessarily mean you will have a successful Test career. There are a lot of things that go with it, how you face the challenges and deal with things that are more internal than external. I think it will be interesting and really fun for me, as I sit back on my couch, to watch some of these young players try to establish themselves over the next two to three years."

Besides Kohli and Rohit, the batsmen vying for the vacancies in India's Test batting line-up, at No.3 and No.6, include Suresh Raina, Cheteshwar Pujara, Manoj Tiwary, Ravindra Jadeja and S Badrinath. However, nobody has firmly established himself in the line-up (Jadeja is yet to play a Test), due to reasons varying from injury, to form, inconsistency in selection and adaptability in foreign conditions. Dravid said he was fortunate his generation was able to nail down a position in the line-up over a period of time.

"If you look at my generation, Sachin, Laxman, Sourav, Viru (Sehwag), Gauti (Gambhir)...we were able to establish ourselves. It makes a big difference. If you have people coming in and out, what that means is you are not performing well and it leads to instability. It's going to be a challenging, interesting time to see how these kids end up."

Dravid stopped short of naming a particular player capable of replacing him. "I wouldn't like to name one Indian player. I think there is a huge group of players that can be better than Rahul Dravid. I'm sure in 16-17 years' time you will be attending a press conference of a player who has probably done a lot more than I have."

Virat Kholi has already claimed # 3 spot. In his short career he has already achieved more than 10dulkar and Dravid achieved at a similar point in their careers. We need to find replacements for 10dulkar and Laxman. I think between Pujara, Tiwary, Rohit Sharma, Badrinath, and Mohd Kaif, we have enough talent. Nobody in his right mind would consider Raina or Jadeja as test material. But you know our selectors.

Ashok
on March 12, 2012, 18:59 GMT

It is sad to see Dravid retiring. But then all careers come to an end one day. A bold but right decision in - a typical Dravid fashion. Rahul was one of the greatest India batsmen of all times & technically perfect - only matched by Gavaskar in defence. Along with Gavaskar, Tendulkar & Sehwag,Dravid is the top notch 4 Indian batmen of all times.The records of these 4 speak for themselves - each being unique at his own technique- though different in styles. There is a wealth of talent awaiting in the background but they all lack experience. Pujara, M.Tiwary, Rohit Sharma, Rahane, Mandeep singh are all waiting to break in. Also there are guys like Mukund, Karthick, Badrinath who have been in & quickly discarded by the Selectors. So Dravid is right when he says there is lot of talent & they deserve to show it by performance. How can they show when they are benched? Tiwary was in the squad but benched for 8 games in a row! Only way is to develop 3 different format teams to include ALL!

Jyotirmoy
on March 12, 2012, 17:41 GMT

@RDFan I think you are more inclined towards banking & finance and that shows in your lack of knowledge about cricket. Your ideas are completely biased towards RD and nothing else. If you see in an unbiased manner you will find there is no so called void in the team, this actually is just a passing phase which has left wonderful memories of test cricket. Just wait for the next series of Aus where these youngsters (without BIG THREE/seniors) gonna play..you will see the results. And don't worry your wish of making test a 25 over event will never come true as ICC is not a fool. About Dhoni, don't forget that India reached there first ever and (only) No.1 test ranking spot in the captaincy of Dhoni!

kan
on March 12, 2012, 15:35 GMT

Dravid is an absolute legend, he is one of finest, greatest cricketer World have ever produced, 10,000 runs in both Tests and ODIs !!! and he is so humble, gentleman, great ambassador of the game. his technique is best in the world and so is his slip catching, it will be big boot to fill, Pujara should be like for like replacement.

AYush
on March 12, 2012, 13:50 GMT

I want Pujara to replace him.. not some Rohit Sharma or Suresh Raina

Dummy4
on March 12, 2012, 11:16 GMT

the great wall is no more in indian cric team.. hope youngsters wiill fill the space.

theo
on March 11, 2012, 23:09 GMT

Greatest Indian batsmen during his career!! I say this as an SA person. He was better than Sachin in many many aspects. Whenever India came to tour SA, it was DRAVID who we wanted to get out the most, not ST. His flexibility and sheer determination are attributes I will forever admire. Enjoy retirement, you have earned it. and please tell your friend, Sachin... to start packing his bags.. enough is enough.

Rual
on March 11, 2012, 19:16 GMT

@JBIndia,
well man, don't know if I am a risk taker or not, but have you not heard about these big risk taking banks collapsing to bring this credit crunch, or may be you were too busy watching cricket...
anyways, the point is and will remain, will india be able to fill the void created by RD now and later for SRT/Lax. its too much to ask it seems for. you might say oh you have kohli, raina, jadeja, sharma, etc. oh I so much wish that test cricket was a 25 over event for the sake of these guys.
the key thing is are these guys interested in test cricket? dhoni has already hinted, he isn't. so big questions....

Al
on March 11, 2012, 17:34 GMT

Agree with @JBIndia - people praising 10dulkar, Dravid and VVS highlight their successes and hide their recent blunders. There's no doubt they were gr8 in their prime. But, in the past 2 series they played like mediocre 3rd rate batsmen. Dravid, being a gentleman, retired on his own. If the remaining 2 don't retire on their own, they need to be dropped. If they really like playing cricket, they can play in Ranji Trophy.

Jyotirmoy
on March 11, 2012, 15:30 GMT

@KillDevil I guess you only want to highlight Dravid's success and hide his recent blunders. Because may be u watch only those matches where RD make runs! Can you count how many times in the recent matches he was BOWLED? Even he admitted that his reflexes are getting bad. So why don't let the young blood do the job now. Dravid was gr8 is gr8 and will remain gr8 there is no doubt abt it. But his time is over.
@csowmi7 you r right every player dreams to get his test cap from sachin or dravid but the thing is I can't see this happening in recent times. I can't remember a single test match in last 2-3 yrs where any one of these three are rested to get a young player in. They r doing the rotation only in ODIs. Lax was so pathetic in this australia series still Rohit was not allowed to get in his place, not even in a single test. So only choice left is they have to go. If not by there own will then somebody has to tell them.

Al
on March 12, 2012, 23:40 GMT

Virat Kholi has already claimed # 3 spot. In his short career he has already achieved more than 10dulkar and Dravid achieved at a similar point in their careers. We need to find replacements for 10dulkar and Laxman. I think between Pujara, Tiwary, Rohit Sharma, Badrinath, and Mohd Kaif, we have enough talent. Nobody in his right mind would consider Raina or Jadeja as test material. But you know our selectors.

Ashok
on March 12, 2012, 18:59 GMT

It is sad to see Dravid retiring. But then all careers come to an end one day. A bold but right decision in - a typical Dravid fashion. Rahul was one of the greatest India batsmen of all times & technically perfect - only matched by Gavaskar in defence. Along with Gavaskar, Tendulkar & Sehwag,Dravid is the top notch 4 Indian batmen of all times.The records of these 4 speak for themselves - each being unique at his own technique- though different in styles. There is a wealth of talent awaiting in the background but they all lack experience. Pujara, M.Tiwary, Rohit Sharma, Rahane, Mandeep singh are all waiting to break in. Also there are guys like Mukund, Karthick, Badrinath who have been in & quickly discarded by the Selectors. So Dravid is right when he says there is lot of talent & they deserve to show it by performance. How can they show when they are benched? Tiwary was in the squad but benched for 8 games in a row! Only way is to develop 3 different format teams to include ALL!

Jyotirmoy
on March 12, 2012, 17:41 GMT

@RDFan I think you are more inclined towards banking & finance and that shows in your lack of knowledge about cricket. Your ideas are completely biased towards RD and nothing else. If you see in an unbiased manner you will find there is no so called void in the team, this actually is just a passing phase which has left wonderful memories of test cricket. Just wait for the next series of Aus where these youngsters (without BIG THREE/seniors) gonna play..you will see the results. And don't worry your wish of making test a 25 over event will never come true as ICC is not a fool. About Dhoni, don't forget that India reached there first ever and (only) No.1 test ranking spot in the captaincy of Dhoni!

kan
on March 12, 2012, 15:35 GMT

Dravid is an absolute legend, he is one of finest, greatest cricketer World have ever produced, 10,000 runs in both Tests and ODIs !!! and he is so humble, gentleman, great ambassador of the game. his technique is best in the world and so is his slip catching, it will be big boot to fill, Pujara should be like for like replacement.

AYush
on March 12, 2012, 13:50 GMT

I want Pujara to replace him.. not some Rohit Sharma or Suresh Raina

Dummy4
on March 12, 2012, 11:16 GMT

the great wall is no more in indian cric team.. hope youngsters wiill fill the space.

theo
on March 11, 2012, 23:09 GMT

Greatest Indian batsmen during his career!! I say this as an SA person. He was better than Sachin in many many aspects. Whenever India came to tour SA, it was DRAVID who we wanted to get out the most, not ST. His flexibility and sheer determination are attributes I will forever admire. Enjoy retirement, you have earned it. and please tell your friend, Sachin... to start packing his bags.. enough is enough.

Rual
on March 11, 2012, 19:16 GMT

@JBIndia,
well man, don't know if I am a risk taker or not, but have you not heard about these big risk taking banks collapsing to bring this credit crunch, or may be you were too busy watching cricket...
anyways, the point is and will remain, will india be able to fill the void created by RD now and later for SRT/Lax. its too much to ask it seems for. you might say oh you have kohli, raina, jadeja, sharma, etc. oh I so much wish that test cricket was a 25 over event for the sake of these guys.
the key thing is are these guys interested in test cricket? dhoni has already hinted, he isn't. so big questions....

Al
on March 11, 2012, 17:34 GMT

Agree with @JBIndia - people praising 10dulkar, Dravid and VVS highlight their successes and hide their recent blunders. There's no doubt they were gr8 in their prime. But, in the past 2 series they played like mediocre 3rd rate batsmen. Dravid, being a gentleman, retired on his own. If the remaining 2 don't retire on their own, they need to be dropped. If they really like playing cricket, they can play in Ranji Trophy.

Jyotirmoy
on March 11, 2012, 15:30 GMT

@KillDevil I guess you only want to highlight Dravid's success and hide his recent blunders. Because may be u watch only those matches where RD make runs! Can you count how many times in the recent matches he was BOWLED? Even he admitted that his reflexes are getting bad. So why don't let the young blood do the job now. Dravid was gr8 is gr8 and will remain gr8 there is no doubt abt it. But his time is over.
@csowmi7 you r right every player dreams to get his test cap from sachin or dravid but the thing is I can't see this happening in recent times. I can't remember a single test match in last 2-3 yrs where any one of these three are rested to get a young player in. They r doing the rotation only in ODIs. Lax was so pathetic in this australia series still Rohit was not allowed to get in his place, not even in a single test. So only choice left is they have to go. If not by there own will then somebody has to tell them.

Randolph
on March 11, 2012, 6:39 GMT

Dravid, the greatest Indian batsman of all time. Batting at 3 and not chasing personal records, and a true champion.

Randolph
on March 11, 2012, 6:38 GMT

Dravid, the greatest Indian batsman of all time. Batting at 3 and not chasing personal records, and a true champion.

Desmond
on March 11, 2012, 6:35 GMT

Dravid was a very good test batsman. He did not start off very well in his first ODI series in Singapore but was persisted with. He put a price on his wicket which every cricketer must do in all the test matches and sometimes in ODI depending on the situation. He retired probably because recently in Australia he did not play well - look at the way he got out (clean bowled). This must have prompted him to retire and make his place vacant for someone else worthy to represent India in the future.

aravamuthan
on March 11, 2012, 4:40 GMT

Badrinath should be given the much deserved break. In terms of technique & temperament (in Tests), he is much alike Dravid. Maintaining an average >60 after playing in 100 matches speaks volumes about his consistency. Many a times, he played a saviour when the team was in difficult situations and has carried on the thankless job. He made an impressive debut against difficult opponent and was left stranded after just playing 3 Test innings. He was the victim of obdurate policy of Dhoni just to exploit him in IPL. Last year he scored >2000 runs in all formats but in WI, he was never given a Test outing whereas guys like Raina were given too long a rope. He is fit as a fiddle and has solid 6-7 years of cricket in him and is rightfully deserves a slot in Team India for the sacrifices he has been asked to make. Badri, Pujara & Rahane are made for Tests and the likes of Rohit & Raina can only play ODIs/T20s. Manoj is promising as well. Jadeja for Tests?? I dont see such a fate!

sowmi
on March 11, 2012, 4:33 GMT

@JBIndia A sudden overhauling in the team will not help groom youngsters. Look how Australia have struggled after their senior pros have retired. Even in the batting it was the seniors like hussey, ponting, clarke who played well in this series. Yes I admit the likes of Pujara and Rohit Sharma deserve a chance but it will come soon. The seniors need to be phased out within the next 2 years not sent home all at once. The likes of Tendulkar have a treasure trove of knowledge and experience they can pass on to the youngsters. Tell me one youngster who would not like to receive their test cap from the master blaster.

prashanth kumar
on March 11, 2012, 4:22 GMT

HATS OFF DRAVID...u r one of those true gentlemen that cricket has ever produced. The way u dealt with things on & off the field was really laudable....WE MISS YOU. A test without dravid was never expected...but we have to move ON. THANK YOU SO MUCH for treating us all with your splendid performances throughout your career...There were allegations against the senior players when not performing, but i dont think anyone would have called for your head in TESTS. WE LOVE YOU...GOOD BYE TO AN ASTONISHING PLAYER

Humayun
on March 11, 2012, 4:12 GMT

Iam a Pakistan, but Dravid seeing you bat was just pleasure. Thank you for such wonderfull times. A true legend ! :)

rahul
on March 11, 2012, 4:05 GMT

WOW ! JADEJA AS A TEST PLAYER . GOD SAVES INDIA IN FUTURE .

Dilip
on March 11, 2012, 4:02 GMT

@JBIndia i assume, you don't watch much cricket. if you can, watch dravid in the 4-0 hammering against england and then say he's been past it for a while. ask any cricket fan in the world and they will have good things to say about the man. he wasn't the most gifted cricket player that india has ever produced but boy did he work hard to get where he is today.

Had the pleasure of meeting the man a few days before his test debut and his down to earth nature hasn't changed a bit over the years. our test team will be poorer without him.

Al
on March 11, 2012, 3:14 GMT

Dravid was great in his heyday, but Kohli will be better than him at # 3. He just needs to get his temperament under control. It's time to get rid of SRT and VVS. They are like squatters who need to be removed.

punit
on March 11, 2012, 2:58 GMT

@ cricketisagame when did u start watching cricket man. Sehwag , yuvi ,gambhir in 2000 came due to sachin . see Dravid as very good or exceptional technique in test matches but at the end of the day runs matter the most in which sachin is way ahead. For all these youngsters sachin has been their role model but on the way u require other players say dravid for the defense part

Jyotirmoy
on March 11, 2012, 2:03 GMT

@cricketisagame So you think that players like Rohit and Pujara reached to this level without hardwork and only Dravid and other two greats did all the hardwork for the team. Oh come one why don't you understand the fact that its time to move on from the seniors so that the young talent,which I believe we have a lot in India, to start build up a team for the next decade.
@RDFan I am not supporter of any particular event like IPL but I a general cricket fan and like every other Indian want a perfect test team. At this time you agree or not these three were just hampering the growth of the team. There might be some initial hurdles to get a new test line up, but I am sure it will be good in the end. I guess you are one of those who don't like to take risks or make changes, but my frnd changes are always for GOOD!

Arun
on March 11, 2012, 0:53 GMT

Dravid going away like this is not a good news at all.
On another note, Cricinfo, why do you allow all cap comments to be posted? Please do something about it

Varnendra
on March 11, 2012, 0:08 GMT

I don't think Dravid is trying to be modest. He is not talented. Nevertheless he is India's greatest ever test crciketer pushing Sachin and Gavaskar to second and third. Actually of the fab four only Tendulkar is talented. Not even Laxman because if you are talented you will get around 60 runs in a test match session without risky shots. You can't say Sehwag is talented because he ignored learning to play rising balls to specialise whacking in Indian conditions; it is like cheating or shortcut; same thing goes for Dhoni, Raina and Yuvraj. India certainly lacks talent as opposed to what Dravid says. Pujara looked hopeless in SA. Rohit talented but the worst. Rahane not really good. Badrinath is certainly not talented but could be hardworking like Dravid. Umesh Yadav has a good action and pace but I don't know if has the wicket taking instincts. That leaves India with only 2 guaranteed talents. Kohli and Pragyan Ojah.

Rual
on March 10, 2012, 23:23 GMT

@JBIndia, did u start watching cricket with IPL? you will now see the importance of dravid after retirement, or SRT/Lax when they retire...

U
on March 10, 2012, 22:59 GMT

India will always produce top drawer batting talent, and as dravid says, the new guns have a lot of intl. level exposure (even if its of a different sort) due to IPL so it is possible that they seem more talented. however, most important thing is not talent, it is hard work and determination. I think the challenge for the immensely talented new batsmen of india is to develop that level of hard work and determination needed for test cricket to be able to be the next dravid.

Sachin and Lara are probably the most naturally talented genius level batsmen ever but ppl like Ponting, Kallis and Dravid were always more determined, and worked harder and sometimes had better results.

@JBIndia Your comments about Rohit and Pujara are justified. But don't bring in Raina's name in the midst. He has proven himself to be a test misfit after 8 innings in England. If you can't duck or play a short pitch delivery consistently, it clearly shows that you have some problem at test level. Even in the recently concluded CB Series, he did not have a single 50 even though he played all matches.

Ash
on March 10, 2012, 21:15 GMT

When RD was playing, we heard many many times from the players like Kohli, Raina, Rahane, C Pujara that they always asked advice from RD whenever they needed. No one mentioned SRT even once except Bajji who made a century and from that moment forgot that he is selected for the team as a bowler and his primary duty to bowl the opposition out. I wonder is SRT approachable for the new kids and mould them for the tests? RD was a role model and friend for every new kid in the dressing room. Its a pity that they will not get his services in the dressing room.

Ash
on March 10, 2012, 21:02 GMT

@ JBIndia, What a comment mate. You think if you have talent, you can succeed without hard work, determination, ethics, fitness and many more? What a joke!! It looks if someone is talented he can sit back and relax and he will be succeeded. Hello... CRICKET IS NOT A LOTTERY!! The first think in cricket is hard work and determination and next comes talent.

Rajesh
on March 10, 2012, 20:46 GMT

He is too good & too modest a guy to say that no one can replace him............... But the fact is that one one can !!

arjun
on March 10, 2012, 20:32 GMT

wow so humble....he says kohli and others were way more taleted than he is....no they arent....i mean....i dont think anybody will have dravid's talent...dravid is some next level parallel universe thing! good luck to the best and most dependable cricket player!!!

Deepak
on March 10, 2012, 20:18 GMT

I saw house under construction it had base, had roof, had pillers but something was missing, same thing india will miss after dravids gone u people know what it is.

Deepak
on March 10, 2012, 20:14 GMT

He is one of those things we cant recognise when its present but we will miss it when its not there for example salt. LOVE U RAHUL BEST OF LUCK.

Deepak
on March 10, 2012, 20:07 GMT

Rahul "the wall" is ur nickname but i think it should be "the salt" Bcause ur like salt when cook makes something very testy everybudy prizes it like this was great that was great but nobudy prizes "salt", most important but least recognisable thing in food without it we cant make anything u r just like that everyone remembers vvs-281*, Srt-186*, ganguly-183 but nobudy rumemberr rsd-180, and two 150 (Even i cant remeber what u scored i think 151 with srt and 145 wit ganguly) in support of those innings. Im srt fan and always wanted u to retire bcos everyone says ur match winner ant srt is not, but when came to know that u r retiring i feel indian team testless, without salt, plz play 1 more match man i want to see match when srt fan like me giving more importance to u jurt once plz play one more match.

Deepak
on March 10, 2012, 20:06 GMT

Rahul "the wall" is ur nickname but i think it should be "the salt" Bcause ur like salt when cook makes something very testy everybudy prizes it like this was great that was great but nobudy prizes "salt", most important but least recognisable thing in food without it we cant make anything u r just like that everyone remembers vvs-281*, Srt-186*, ganguly-183 but nobudy rumemberr rsd-180, and two 150 (Even i cant remeber what u scored i think 151 with srt and 145 wit ganguly) in support of those innings. Im srt fan and always wanted u to retire bcos everyone says ur match winner ant srt is not, but when came to know that u r retiring i feel indian team testless, without salt, plz play 1 more match man i want to see match when srt fan like me giving more importance to u jurt once plz play one more match.

Jyotirmoy
on March 10, 2012, 17:38 GMT

@csowmi7 I think you forgot how Dravid started his ODI career. He is a wonderful, I would sya the best test player India has produced. But he is does not have the right attitude for ODIs. Just remember the 2007 WC debacle. The best part is knowing all this he is still going to play T20 in IPL. So no point comparing Rohit Sharma with Dravid in ODIs at this point of time. Now coming to Rohit, Raina or any youngster intests..tell me how many chances did they got to play in test. I mean Rohit deserves at least a test debut. Same is with Pujara..these players need to be groomed. But becoz someone like Dravid, Laxman or Sachin cannot be sacked they have to sit on the bench or be waterboy, even if these BIG THREE keeps making blunder after blunder. So believe my friend their era is over, actually it was over at least a year back, but they are still lingering around. Its time we move on and let the new bunch of palyers to take Indian cricket to a next level.

shadab
on March 10, 2012, 17:20 GMT

sorry dravid, but no one will take ur place, u r the special one . thanks to play for us, proud on u.......... wish u best of luck............

Prashant
on March 10, 2012, 13:36 GMT

Maybe if Laxman had announced his retirement earlier Dravid would have chosen to stay as his performances were far better. Anyways Dravid has given us nice memories in the past and will be missed.

sri
on March 10, 2012, 10:11 GMT

I can't believe jadeja even got a mention in this article.

Priyashrav
on March 10, 2012, 9:22 GMT

@spinkingKK Dravid faced McGrath,Warne,Lee(who was a newcomer then,I admit) & Fleming(who was quite a decent bowler) in that tour! So Kohli/Rohit had it easy in comparison. About Murali Vijay,he got many chances and a batting average of 30.45 over 12 tests and 17.81 over 11 ODIs does not justify a place in the team!

sowmi
on March 10, 2012, 5:24 GMT

@JBINDIA You fail to note that he mentioned that in 16-17 years time the youngsters will have achieved more than him. All he meant was that talent does not necessarily confirm success. Look at Raina and Rohit Sharma in the ODIs who have been gifting their wicket away despite being extremely talented. A good player also requires temperament, hard work, field ethics, desire to perform and maturity. Simply axing all the seniors will not make our problems go away my friend.

KISH
on March 10, 2012, 3:06 GMT

I don't know why many people talk bad about Murali Vijay. I beleive he is the only good find by SriKanth in his tenure as a cheif selctor. He performed really well in India against formidable bowling attacks whenever he got chances. He is also a very good fielder. I beleive he has got it in him to make it big. If India is going to go without any of the 3's, then my batting line-up will be: 1.Vijay 2.Sehwag 3.Gambhir(c) 4.Kohli(vc) 5.Pujara 6.R.Sharma 7.Dhoni and the bowlers/All-rounders (Pathan, Zaheer, Sreesanth, Ishant, Yadav, Aaron, Nehra, Balaji, Munaf, Praveen, Rahul Sharma, Jadeja, Ojha) according to the pitch and conditions.

KISH
on March 10, 2012, 2:51 GMT

This shows that Dravid is a very good thinker of the game and he can judge everything with a level head. I can see why he said the current players are more talented than him. In his first tour to Austrlaia in 1999, he struggled as if he was never suited to the Australian conditions. However, players like Kohli and Rohit Sharma (In the tour games) were not having much problems with the new conditions. So, if they are this good in their first tour, give them another one or two and they can really perform well. But, I doubt that in 16 years time we will be looking at a player who achieved more than Dravid. India's test team is going to go through some horrid time, during which the team will be chopped and changed many times and I don't think we are going to have one single master batsman for a while. Moving away from the topic, I beleive Tendulkar will call it a day, once he scores a century in the Asia cup. That could make Laxman's presence in the middle-order mandatory.

Ravi
on March 10, 2012, 2:31 GMT

@JBindia - Dumb heads like you can think like that. Is there any one batsman that has a class of RD in the present generation. May be Kohli. If he regains the composure he may tread that path. Remember Kambli who had the talent and wasted it all. That is what he meant. Wake up airhead. Fill something in your head before you stand up to talk about a legend. Not sure if you really played cricket. If you did that would have been the most ridiculous thing on earth.

kannan
on March 9, 2012, 23:09 GMT

such a humble guy. ! for a colossus of the game to say that there are several youngsters who are better than him is saying a lot about the man RD is. Take a bow, RD. You delayed your retirement a bit, but your greatness is assured.

cric
on March 9, 2012, 22:46 GMT

One of the finest technically correct batsmen of the modern era. Dravid's biggest assets was mental strength, work ethic and discipline. Humble, Unassuming, Generous to fault, steely resolve to succeed against all odds, always a Gentleman, never uttered an unkind word to anyone, stayed away from all controversies, served his country with pride and distinction. Indian Cricket will always be indebted to you. It would be very hard to fill those shoes in spite of all the talent and skills available from the current crop.

Saikat
on March 9, 2012, 22:43 GMT

@JBIndia, Are you even living in real world to ask that sarcastic question?? A lot of talented cricketers have come and gone without leaving any mark...you need much more than talent, surely to succeed in cricket or for that matter any sphere of life.

Clean
on March 9, 2012, 20:57 GMT

Good decision Dravid. Hopefully Tendulkar and Laxman will follow soon.

As much as you all LOVE Tendulkar, how do you expect to see the next legend if he keeps hogging his place in the team.

Be smart people, if he is not willing to go, call for him to quit. He should immediately retire from Test Cricket and phase out from One Day Internationals by the end of the year.

Praveen
on March 9, 2012, 20:31 GMT

I was fortunate to watch him play. He will be remembered as the great wall of India. Its his modesty to state that some will fill his place but I am sure India might not find a similar player who has the same kind of patience, concentration and most importantly consistency in Batting . I salute you Dravid!

Nadeem
on March 9, 2012, 20:16 GMT

woh, lots of talent but only in T2020 , talent like Dravid comes in test cricket once in 100 years. It is not that easy to fill that gap.
Just see how miserable Srilanka is without Murli. It's not that easy to fill a legends gap.
All these new batsmen don't even have temperament to play test cricket at all.
Who ever you picks as new talent in india , he will only be good to score fast 50 runs and gets out. It's hard to have 375 runs partnership once again with this new players.
India is going to be in big trouble for next two years.

Naresh
on March 9, 2012, 20:14 GMT

DRAVID OCCUPIED THAT NO 3 SPOT WHICH WAS CRUCIAL FOR SO MANY YEARS.
BRAVE DECISION TO MOVE ON. IN OZ HIS REFLEXES WERE NO LONGER THERE
AND KEPT GETTING BOWLED. PUJARA SHOULD COME INTO THAT POSITION NOW. LAXMAN UNFITNESS SHOWED IN OZ. HE NEEDS TO HANG UP AS WELL
AND SHEWAG NEXT.

V.L
on March 9, 2012, 20:11 GMT

@diva1234
As a matter of fact there are young cricketers who are genuinely interested in playing test cricket. The names such as MK Pandey, Cheteswar Pujara, Manoj Tiwary, Ajinkya Rahane are the future of Indian test cricket. The best part is these lads are not afraid of pulling and hooking the shortball. Infact Pandey and Pujara enjoy short pitched bowling. There is also good bowling talent in our stock. Abu Nechim, Ashok Dinda and the like. Hopefully our selectors can actually learn to pick players on merit. I do not think Rohit Sharma is worthy of a spot in the team.

Jyotirmoy
on March 9, 2012, 19:32 GMT

"Just being talented doesn't necessarily mean you will have a successful Test career" What does that mean? What else a cricketer or for that matter anyone needs to be successful. This statement suggests How insecure Dravid is about young generation and its because of him and players like sachin and laxman that these youngsters stay at bench or be waterboy and never get into test team. Your right Mr. Wall now u should sit back on couch, may be also call sachin and VVS for company, and LET youngsters play!

Adeel
on March 9, 2012, 19:12 GMT

Oh C'monn, It's fairly apparent that he has charitably described current youngsters as more talented than him. Seriously? Jadeja? Raina? Can they even bat for an hour on bouncy tracks? Most importantly, they don't have a fraction of Dravid's integrity and commitment.

Arosha
on March 9, 2012, 18:57 GMT

I can see that Virat Kohli is a very gifted player who's having all the ingredients to succeed at the highest level. He has a very good technique too. Rohith Sharma is also gifted & technically composed but way too inconsistent for some reason, certainly not due to the lack of ability. I have heard of Rahane, but yet to see him at the highest level. Badrinath may have been good at his peak, but like Rohith Sharma, he too didn't do justice to his ability though the chances he was given was very limited. Still all these 4 may have considerable ability in varying proportions, but the fact is that only Kohli can be predicted at this time to be a genuine world class in future. Then you have Dhoni, Raina, they will never replace the likes of Dravid, T'kar, L'man & Shewag. Techically very flawed players to say the least. The same applies to Youvraj Singh to a certain extent. The likes of Ravindra Jadeja, Yousuf Pathan, etc. are just overhyped craps in the IPL culture, to say the least.

Arosha
on March 9, 2012, 18:54 GMT

I can see that Virat Kohli is a very gifted player who's having all the ingredients to succeed at the highest level. He has a very good technique too. Rohith Sharma is also gifted & technically composed but way too inconsistent for some reason, certainly not due to the lack of ability. I have heard of Rahane, but yet to see him at the highest level. Badrinath may have been good at his peak, but like Rohith Sharma, he too didn't do justice to his ability though the chances he was given was very limited. Still all these 4 may have considerable ability in varying proportions, but the fact is that only Kohli can be predicted at this time to be a genuine world class in future. Then you have Dhoni, Raina, they will never replace the likes of Dravid, T'kar, L'man & Shewag. Techically very flawed players to say the least. The same applies to Youvraj Singh to a certain extent. The likes of Ravindra Jadeja, Yousuf Pathan, etc. are just overhyped craps in the IPL culture, to say the least.

Chatty
on March 9, 2012, 18:04 GMT

I think Dravid is being modest. There will be few if any from the current crop who can be 'the wall' on tough pitches.

Nav
on March 9, 2012, 17:32 GMT

We have a lot of talents to fill the gap of Sachin, laxman and Dravid: Rahane, Rohit, Pujara, Kohli, Tiwari and Badrinath are really capable of doing it.

Rahul
on March 9, 2012, 17:12 GMT

@AlexDackard, Tiwary and Badrinath (who is too old now) have proven themselves with domestic first class averages similar to those of dravid and sachin, and far greater than those of ganguly, laxman, even sehwag and kohli. They should be mentioned in the same sentence as virat, rohit, pujara...what I would like to know is where are Rahane (highest all time indian average) Mukhund and useful allrounder Abhishek Nayar (who also scores bags of runs). Looks like the Indian selectors are failing to recognise talent for the test team yet again...

srinivas
on March 9, 2012, 16:58 GMT

even if dravid is trying to console indian fans by saying there are young cricketers, these young cricketers mind is focused on money. is there any young cricketer not intersted in IPL and only interested in international cricket. kohli made one century and he is vice captain and super star blah, blah. gambir was runout by dhoni in 90s and kohli super star. as long as our captain is behaving like a termite to the team,- no young talented cricketer will rise up to fill the shoes of dravid and kind..

Shanmugam
on March 9, 2012, 16:32 GMT

I personally believe Dravid is as talented as, if not more than, all these new kids but when the great man himself says that, who are we to debate? Anyway, talent is not everything. Other virtues of a great batsman include patience and determination. I am an England fan who has been hurt numerous times by these virtues of Dravid, but, boy, it is fine when a player like Dravid succeeds against your team. Personally, I feel that Dravid stands tall in the pantheon of batting greats. When you talk about great Indian batsmen, three names will be mentioned - Tendulkar, Gavaskar, and Dravid. Thanks to all you have given to the game, Mr.Dravid. You will be missed not just by your own team fans but even by many of us England fans too. Thanks for all the wonderful memories. May you have a great life ahead.

Uma
on March 9, 2012, 15:45 GMT

PLEASE!PLEASE! put out raina picture he is not at all capable of dravid's batting foot.do not take dravid comments for your selfish thoughts.

Amin
on March 9, 2012, 15:20 GMT

Jadeja? Tiwary? Raina? You gotta be kidding me!! Rahul Dravid was a playing legend. What a player! These kids cannot replace him even if they bat twice in one innings.

rahul
on March 9, 2012, 15:11 GMT

ONLY KOHLI HAS SHOWN SOME ENCOURAGING SIGNS , WHILE RAINA & ROHIT HAD BEEN FLOP . MAY BE PUJARA SHOULD BE GIVEN A LONG RUN .

Arshad
on March 9, 2012, 15:05 GMT

Hats of to U Sir ! U r a True Gentleman of Indian Cricket ! Mr. SRT will never come closer to U interms of Dignity and self respect.

Priyashrav
on March 9, 2012, 14:52 GMT

These new kids i.e. Kohli,Rohit,Raina,Pujara may have the talent but I doubt they have the mental toughness,grit and determination that is required to succeed in Test cricket which Dravid showcased throughout his career in some memorable innings !

RK
on March 9, 2012, 13:54 GMT

Dravid said, "at the end of the day when a player has to go, he knows he has to go and I didn't feel the need to drag it on longer [in order to have a farewell Test]" Do you get Mr. Tendulkar? It's ok even if India loses a few test matches, few series, even the test rankings... But, seniors' retirement will sure help Team India in the longer run and would separate men from boys. It's time they take over the mantle.

Raina? Jadeja?? Tiwary?? Badrinath?? C'm, unless all of them have a sudden miraculous upheavel aka spiderman and wake up, none of them have the strength of mind to be long term prospects in test cricket.

Dal
on March 9, 2012, 13:31 GMT

what a man!!! Take a bow Dravid

No featured comments at the moment.

Dal
on March 9, 2012, 13:31 GMT

what a man!!! Take a bow Dravid

Alex
on March 9, 2012, 13:32 GMT

Raina? Jadeja?? Tiwary?? Badrinath?? C'm, unless all of them have a sudden miraculous upheavel aka spiderman and wake up, none of them have the strength of mind to be long term prospects in test cricket.

Dravid said, "at the end of the day when a player has to go, he knows he has to go and I didn't feel the need to drag it on longer [in order to have a farewell Test]" Do you get Mr. Tendulkar? It's ok even if India loses a few test matches, few series, even the test rankings... But, seniors' retirement will sure help Team India in the longer run and would separate men from boys. It's time they take over the mantle.

Priyashrav
on March 9, 2012, 14:52 GMT

These new kids i.e. Kohli,Rohit,Raina,Pujara may have the talent but I doubt they have the mental toughness,grit and determination that is required to succeed in Test cricket which Dravid showcased throughout his career in some memorable innings !

Arshad
on March 9, 2012, 15:05 GMT

Hats of to U Sir ! U r a True Gentleman of Indian Cricket ! Mr. SRT will never come closer to U interms of Dignity and self respect.

rahul
on March 9, 2012, 15:11 GMT

ONLY KOHLI HAS SHOWN SOME ENCOURAGING SIGNS , WHILE RAINA & ROHIT HAD BEEN FLOP . MAY BE PUJARA SHOULD BE GIVEN A LONG RUN .

Amin
on March 9, 2012, 15:20 GMT

Jadeja? Tiwary? Raina? You gotta be kidding me!! Rahul Dravid was a playing legend. What a player! These kids cannot replace him even if they bat twice in one innings.

Uma
on March 9, 2012, 15:45 GMT

PLEASE!PLEASE! put out raina picture he is not at all capable of dravid's batting foot.do not take dravid comments for your selfish thoughts.

Shanmugam
on March 9, 2012, 16:32 GMT

I personally believe Dravid is as talented as, if not more than, all these new kids but when the great man himself says that, who are we to debate? Anyway, talent is not everything. Other virtues of a great batsman include patience and determination. I am an England fan who has been hurt numerous times by these virtues of Dravid, but, boy, it is fine when a player like Dravid succeeds against your team. Personally, I feel that Dravid stands tall in the pantheon of batting greats. When you talk about great Indian batsmen, three names will be mentioned - Tendulkar, Gavaskar, and Dravid. Thanks to all you have given to the game, Mr.Dravid. You will be missed not just by your own team fans but even by many of us England fans too. Thanks for all the wonderful memories. May you have a great life ahead.

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